INDEX:
1. to suffer
2. to suffer because of bad things you have done or mistakes you have made
3. something painful or unpleasant that you suffer
4. someone who suffers
5. someone who seems to enjoy suffering
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ PAIN
↑ ILLNESS/DISEASE
↑ ILL/SICK
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1. to suffer
▷ suffer /ˈsʌfəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to experience physical or emotional pain when something bad happens to you :
▪ Children always suffer when their parents get divorced.
▪ In all wars, it’s innocent civilians who suffer most.
▪ Anne still suffers a lot of pain in her leg.
suffer from
▪ Two hundred million people worldwide suffer from parasitic diseases.
▷ endure /ɪnˈdjʊəʳǁɪnˈdʊər/ [transitive verb] especially written
to experience pain or have difficult or unpleasant experiences over a long period - use this especially about people who are brave and patient :
▪ She has endured ten years of painful back operations.
▪ They were lost in the mountains for ten days, enduring hunger, thirst, and intense cold.
▷ go through /ˈgəʊ θruː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to experience a lot of problems in your life over a long period of time :
▪ Peter had lost his job, and the family was going through a very difficult time.
▪ It’s good to see Patrick looking so happy now, after all he’s gone through in the last few years.
▷ undergo /ˌʌndəʳˈgəʊ/ [transitive verb]
to experience a very difficult or unpleasant situation that you have no control over and cannot stop :
▪ The hostages were eventually released after undergoing a terrifying ordeal.
▪ He underwent major heart surgery last year.
▪ At that time she was undergoing tremendous emotional problems following the breakup of her marriage.
▷ be subjected to /biː səbˈdʒektə̇d tuː/ [verb phrase]
to be forced to experience something very unpleasant, such as unfair or violent treatment, especially over a long time :
▪ Black people in the area are claiming they have been subjected to repeated racial attacks from police officers.
▪ The charity helps children who have been subjected to domestic violence and sexual abuse.
▷ be in the grip of /biː ɪn ðə ˈgrɪp ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to be experiencing an extremely unpleasant or serious situation that you have no control over and cannot stop :
▪ The Sudan was in the grip of its worst famine for 20 years.
▪ Much of Europe was in the grip of postwar recession.
▷ be in the throes of /biː ɪn ðə ˈθrəʊz ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to be experiencing a difficult or unpleasant situation, especially one that continues a long time :
▪ Kramer was in the throes of clinical depression and left the band for a while.
▪ In the throes of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt developed the economic plan called ‘The New Deal’.
2. to suffer because of bad things you have done or mistakes you have made
▷ suffer /ˈsʌfəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
▪ If you tell lies, it is you who will suffer in the end.
make somebody suffer
▪ When his mother caught him cheating she really made him suffer.
suffer for
▪ All over the world, people are suffering for their political or religious beliefs.
▪ I shouldn’t have drunk all that wine - I’ll suffer for it tomorrow morning.
▷ pay /peɪ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to have a bad experience as a way of being punished for something bad that you have done, mistakes you have made etc :
pay for
▪ Miller refused to testify and paid for it by being labelled a communist.
make somebody pay
▪ They think I’ve forgotten what they did to me, but I’ll make them pay.
pay dearly
▪ She drank far too much at the party and paid dearly for it the next day.
pay the price/the penalty
▪ Tony didn’t do any studying all year but paid the price when it came to the exams.
▷ count the cost /ˌkaʊnt ðə ˈkɒstǁ-ˈkɔːst/ [verb phrase] British
to suffer or start having problems as a result of mistakes or decisions you made at an earlier time :
▪ The school overspent on its budget last year, and now it’s having to count the cost.
count the cost of
▪ We are now counting the cost of our earlier mistakes.
▷ cost somebody dearly/dear /ˌkɒst somebody ˈdɪəʳli, ˈdɪəʳǁˌkɔːst-/ [verb phrase]
if a mistake costs someone dearly or costs someone dear, they suffer a great deal because of it :
▪ This scandal could cost the government dearly.
▪ It was only a small mistake, but it cost us very dear.
▷ know/find out to your cost /ˌnəʊ, ˌfaɪnd aʊt tə jɔːʳ ˈkɒstǁ-ˈkɔːst/ [verb phrase]
if you know or find out something to your cost, you realize that something that happened or something you did at an earlier time is now causing problems or is likely to cause problems in the future :
▪ As we now know to our cost, the disease is highly contagious.
▪ Many people have found out to their cost that insurance policies do not always cover damage from flooding.
▷ at a/some cost to /ət ə, sʌm ˈkɒst tuːǁ-ˈkɔːst-/ [preposition]
if you do something at a cost to someone or something, that person suffers because you do it :
▪ She’s struggled to keep the family going on her own -- at considerable cost to herself.
▪ Ms Gideon has defended her cause at great cost to her personal and political reputation.
3. something painful or unpleasant that you suffer
▷ suffering /ˈsʌf ə rɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
very unpleasant, painful, or upsetting conditions - use this especially about a situation that affects a lot of people :
▪ The earthquake has caused massive damage and a great deal of human suffering.
▪ Reporters described the suffering they had seen in the war zone.
▷ hardship /ˈhɑːʳdʃɪp/ [countable/uncountable noun]
when your life is difficult and uncomfortable, especially because you are very poor :
▪ During the war we faced many hardships.
▪ Rising food prices caused great hardship for most of the population.
▪ Many students suffer financial hardship.
▷ plight /plaɪt/ [singular noun]
a difficult and unpleasant situation, in which people are suffering a lot and that makes you feel great sympathy for them :
▪ The film deals with the nomadic desert people of the Sahel, whose plight has worsened in the recent years of drought.
▪ A new report exposes the plight of skilled nurses, who work long hours for very low rates of pay.
▷ agony /ˈægəni/ [uncountable noun]
a very sad, difficult, and unpleasant situation in which people suffer a lot, especially over a long time :
▪ In the book she describes the agony of watching her child die.
▪ With renewed fighting for control of the capital, there seems to be no end to the region’s agony.
▷ torment /ˈtɔːʳment/ [uncountable noun]
severe mental suffering, often continuing for a long time :
▪ She suffered years of private torment over her decision to have her children adopted.
▪ It’s difficult for us to understand the torment the hostages are going through.
▷ adversity /ədˈvɜːʳsɪti, ədˈvɜːʳsəti/ [uncountable noun] written
a situation in which you have continuing difficulties that seem to be caused by bad luck :
▪ They have suffered more than their fair share of adversity and managed to overcome it every time.
in the face of adversity
when experiencing adversity
▪ She somehow manages to keep laughing in the face of adversity.
4. someone who suffers
▷ victim /ˈvɪktɪm, ˈvɪktəm/ [countable noun]
someone who suffers because of an illness, accident, crime etc :
▪ a murder victim
▪ Heart attack victims stand a better chance if they are treated immediately.
▪ They are launching a massive aid program to help the famine victims.
victim of
▪ Our aim is to help victims of crime.
▷ casualty /ˈkæʒuəlti/ [countable noun]
someone who suffers as a result of an event or situation over which they have no control - used especially in news reports :
▪ The corruption scandal has claimed yet another casualty: the Finance Minister, who was forced to resign last night.
casualty of
▪ The company is the latest casualty of the worldwide recession.
5. someone who seems to enjoy suffering
▷ masochist /ˈmæsəkɪst/ [countable noun]
▪ He goes swimming in the sea in the middle of winter -- he must be some kind of masochist.
masochistic /ˌmæsəˈkɪstɪk◂/ [adjective]
▪ She seems to derive an almost masochistic pleasure from going out with men who treat her badly.
▷ be a glutton for punishment /biː ə ˌglʌtn fəʳ ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ [verb phrase]
use this humorously about someone who seems to like being put in situations where they will suffer, when it could have been avoided :
▪ Being a glutton for punishment, I agreed to organize yet another children’s birthday party.
▷ martyr /ˈmɑːʳtəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who enjoys suffering because they make other people feel guilty about it, and therefore get sympathy and attention :
▪ Don’t be a martyr - ask for help if you need it.
play the martyr
behave like one
▪ We all like to play the martyr sometimes.